Whirlpool to spend $86.8 million in Southwest Michigan

Whirlpool Corp. has made a big commitment to Southwest Michigan and now the State of Michigan has made a commitment of its own.

Over the next five years, the global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances plans to invest $86.8 million to consolidate its world headquarters, bringing employees from 15 locations across the region to three centralized office campuses. 

A new campus will be located in downtown Benton Harbor on Main Street, between River Street and Riverview Drive. The campus will have three energy-efficient, three-story buildings, for a total of approximately 270,000 square feet of office space.

With the Whirlpool offices at one end of the downtown corridor and the Arts District at the other it is anticipated there will be further business development in between, says Wendy Dant Chesser, President of Cornerstone Alliance, the lead economic development agency for the southwest corner of Michigan.

“The buzz is ecstatic,” Dant Chesser says of the move that is unprecedented in the region.

When the Whirlpool project is complete it is anticipated 1,000 workers could be downtown.

Dant Chesser gives credit to the state of Michigan for investing $12 million to make downtown Benton Harbor more attractive to Whirlpool. “When there is an influx of public money, private money typically follows and that’s what we see here.”

In addition to the downtown HQ, two other offices will be at the site of the existing Benton Harbor Administrative Center and St. Joseph Technology Center locations.

“With more than 4,000 individuals in our current facilities, we have simply outgrown our current space,” says Jeff M. Fettig, Whirlpool Corp. chairman and chief executive officer.

The Michigan Economic Growth Authority Board on July 20 approved $19.4 million in state tax credits over five years to convince Whirlpool to expand in Michigan. The governor’s office says the Whirlpool project has the potential to keep 2,336 jobs in the state — 868 directly at Whirlpool.  

In the first phase of the project, Whirlpool Corp. anticipates a $20 million investment. Preparation for the new office buildings is expected to begin this summer.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Wendy Dant Chesser, Cornerstone Alliance